Universal holding frame for certain drill accessories

ABSTRACT

A universal holding frame provides convenience and safety for certain drill accessories which all have an elongate drivable shaft and a mounted storage barrel. The universal holding frame maintains the mounted storage barrel against rotation with the shaft of the drill accessory. It can contract and extend and be able to fit almost all drills.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a tool providing enhanced convenience and safety to certain drill accessories.

These certain drill accessories all have an elongate shaft and a mounted rotatable storage barrel; this tool is designed to maintain the storage barrel stationary when the shaft is rotating, and the tool can contract and extend to fit almost every drills.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For certain drill-accessories, such as U.S. patent Ser. No. 680146, title drill accessory, they all have a rotatable storage barrel mounted on an elongate drive shaft to provide a storage area for other bits. In FIG. 1, 1 is the shaft, 2 is the storage barrel.

Because each bits are different shape, different weight, and usually there is an empty reserved recess for the bit that is being positioned on the shaft 1 and is being used, so the barrel 2 is not balanced. Because of the friction, the storage barrel 2 have the trend to rotate with the shaft 1 when the shaft 1 is rotating, if it rotates, the whole tool and drill will be imbalance and instable, thus we need a way to make the barrel 2 stationary. One way is using a hand to hold it. This way always requires a hand available, not the best solution. Another solution mentioned in the patent application titled drill accessory, Ser. No. 680146, is inserting a U shape spring between the storage barrel 2 and the drill body 6. This solution has some drawbacks: first, it's very hard for a U shape spring to fit all drills properly. Second, a U shape spring protrudes from a drill chuck, not safe and elegant. This invention provides a better solution.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A universal holding frame according to the present invention comprises one or more elastic rod(s) being rigidly attached to the storage barrel of a drill accessory on one end. The universal holding frame further includes a touching ring being rigidly attached to the elastic rod on the other end. The storage barrel, the elastic rod(s), and the touching ring form a single unit. The single unit would rotate and keep stationary against the shaft.

When the certain drill accessories are attached to a drill, the elastic rod(s) is compressed; the touching ring is pushed and positioned by the force of the elastic rod(s) on the drill body forming a contact that creates some level of friction. This friction is used to maintain the storage barrel of a certain drill accessory against rotation with the shaft. The touching ring is perpendicular to the centerline of the drill chuck. The perpendicular position makes the touching ring easily being rotated on the drill body by hand and it won't intervene with the tightening and loosing operation of the drill chuck.

According to an aspect of the invention, in order to let the universal holding frame fit short or smaller drill chuck or drill bodies, a bushing ring is inserted into the touching ring to make the internal diameter smaller.

According to a further aspect of the invention, the universal holding frame has some extending rings able to being connected with the touching ring making the touching ring longer and fit longer drill chucks or drill bodies.

According to yet a further aspect of the invention, the extending ring could have a bushing ring inserted into it making the universal holding frame fit smaller and longer drill chucks or drill bodies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is the top view of the holding frame attached to a drill accessory and a drill. The elastic rods are compressed.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the holding frame attached to a drill accessory.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the bushing ring inside the touching ring.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the round groove inside the touching ring.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the bushing ring and its enlarged semi-spheres.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of a holding frame with an extending ring attached to the touching ring.

FIG. 7 is a top sectional view of a bushing ring inside an extending ring.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

See FIG. 1, there is a drill accessory 10, a universal holding frame 20 comprising two elastic rods 4 and a touching ring 5.

The elastic rods 4 are rigidly attached to the storage barrel 2 on one end and rigidly attached with the touching ring 5 at the other end. The elastic rod 4 is parallel with the centerline of the chuck 3. This makes the storage barrel 2, the elastic rods 4 and the touching ring 5 as a single unit, and they rotate and keep stationary together.

The elastic rods 4 are compressed when the drill accessory 10 is attached to a drill chuck 3 and the touching ring 5 is pushed against the drill body 6 by the elastic rods 4. The touching ring 5 is positioned at the drill body and perpendicular to the centerline of the chuck 3, See FIG. 1. This perpendicular position is maintained all the way even though in the case of the touching ring 5 receiving imbalanced force, as in the case of the drill body 6 having an irregular surface, like some corded drills. The perpendicular position will make sure that the touching ring 5 won't intervene with the operation of the chuck 3 and can be rotated by hand easily.

The touching ring 5 is pressed against the drill body 6, so there is some level of friction between the touching ring 5 and the drill body 6, this level of friction will keep the single unit consisting of the touching ring 5, the elastic rods 4 and the storage barrel 2 from rotating with the shaft 1.

In order to search for a reserved bit on the storage barrel, a user can easily overcome the friction from the touching ring 5 and the drill body 6 and rotate the storage barrel 2. This will provide the convenience of presenting the reserved bits in front of a user.

When the drill chuck 3 is loosened in order to release the drill accessory 10 from the drill 6 and the elastic rod 4 will rebound back pushing the drill accessory 10 away from the drill. If there were no hand to hold the drill accessory 10, it would fall to the ground. Because it usually needs both hands to loosen a chuck, there is a high possibility that the drill accessory 10 will fall down to the ground. One benefit of making the elastic rods 4 rigidly attached to the drill accessory 10 is that when the drill accessory 10 is being pushed away, the touching ring 5 can be held easily to prevent the drill accessory 10 from falling, because the touching ring 5 is behind the chuck 3, so the touching ring 5 can be blocked and held by hand when the hands are on the chuck 3 trying to loosen it.

The elastic rods 4 should be able to keep the touching ring 5 in the proper position, provide the elastic force and give enough room for hands to tighten and loosen the drill chuck 3. At least one elastic rod is needed. Having 2 elastic rods is preferred, like in FIG. 1, the touching ring 5 will have a balanced 2-pointer support on a diameter and each elastic rod structure will be simpler.

Drill bodies vary in diameter and shape, the chucks also varies in length and diameter. An elastic rod has a length limit in compression; it has a maximum and minimum working length. If the elastic rods 4 have extended to its limit, the touching ring 5 hasn't yet established a contact that creates enough friction, and then the holding frame won't be able to maintain the storage barrel 2 stationary. Or if the elastic rods 4 have been compressed to its limit, and the shaft 1 hasn't yet been held tightly and securely by the chuck 3, the drill accessory 10 won't be able to be used securely. In order to have one holding frame 20 fit all drills, the touching ring 5 needs to be able to contract to fit certain drills, like smaller ones, to extend to fit some drills, like longer ones.

In FIG. 3, a bushing ring 51 is inserted into the touching ring 5 to reduce its internal diameter, making it suitable for smaller drill body 6 or short drill chuck 3. The bushing ring 51 is elastic in its diameter; it can be squeezed into the touching ring 5 and be held there by letting some convex semi-spheres 511 on the bushing ring 51 be inserted into a round groove 512 inside the touching ring 5. See FIGS. 4 and 5. The bushing ring 51 is releasable. It can be released from the touching ring 5 by pushing it out. The bushing ring 51 can have different internal diameters to make the touching ring 5 suitable for different drills.

In FIG. 6, an extending ring 52 is attached to the touching ring 5 to make the holding frame 20 longer. There are some holes 513 in the touching ring 5 and the pins 521 on the extending ring 52 are inserted into these holes 513, thus the extending ring 52 is attached to the touching ring 5. The extending ring 52 also can have its own extending ring, so there can be more than one extending ring to extend the holding frame 20 further. Also the extending ring 52 can have various widths to fit different drill bodies. The extending ring 52 also is releasable. It can be released from the touching ring 5 by pulling the pins 521 out the holes 513.

In FIG. 7, the extending ring 52 has a bushing ring 51 inserted into it making its internal diameter smaller. This will let the holding frame 20 fit some certain drills, like smaller and longer ones.

The holding frame can fit all the drills by using the bushing ring 51 and/or extending ring 52. 

1. A tool for assisting certain drill accessories, which all have an elongate drive shaft and a mounted rotatable storage barrel, comprising one or more elastic rod(s) being rigidly attached with said storage barrel on one end, said tool further including a touching ring being rigidly attached to the other end of said elastic rod, said touching ring and said elastic rod(s) with said storage barrel being as a single unit and able to rotate and keep stationary from said shaft, said touching ring being able to be pushed by said elastic rod and positioned on a drill body if said certain drill accessories are attached to a drill and said elastic rods are compressed, said single unit consisting of said touching ring, said elastic rod and said storage barrel being maintained against rotation along with said shaft by the friction between said touching ring and said drill body.
 2. A tool as claimed in claim 1 wherein said touching ring is perpendicular to the centerline of the drill chuck when it is pushed by said elastic rods and positioned on a drill body.
 3. A tool as claimed in claim 2 wherein said touching ring can hold a releasable bushing ring to make its internal diameter smaller.
 4. A tool as claimed in claim 3 wherein said touching ring can connect to a releasable extending ring to make said tool longer.
 5. A tool as claimed in claim 4 wherein said releasable extending ring can hold a bushing ring to make its internal diameter smaller.
 6. A tool as claimed in claim 5 wherein said releasable extending ring can connect to another releasable extending ring to make it longer.
 7. A tool as claimed in claim 6 wherein said elastic rod is parallel with the centerline of a drill chuck when said certain drill-accessories are attached to a drill. 